Personal Experience: My Experience At Texas A & M
Being a child in a military family made it so that I have never been afraid of traveling, or being immersed into new cultures. My unique experience of living in 6 different states has made me appreciate and crave to gain more knowledge about cultures. Although I have not had the financial means to gain any international cultural experiences first hand, I have continuously consumed knowledge about new places through documentaries, research, and my education at Texas A&M. Studying human geography has been so rewarding in that it is my job, as a student, to learn as much as I can about different cultures around the world. I was not lucky enough to be a part of a freshman immersion program my first year of college, but it is never too late to start
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Giving young people the chance to step outside of their comfort zones allows them to more deeply connect with their own culture once they return home, but more importantly, broaden their understanding and view of the rest of the world. Having the chance to help in this unique type of student development would without a doubt challenge the leadership skills I gained in my previous two years of mentorship. My experience as mentor has given me the tools I need to know how to connect to students in short amounts of time. It would be so crucial for any student leader to know how to connect with the student group they are leading to ensure that there is trust between everyone in such an unfamiliar place. My experience in the FOCUS program has also allowed me facilitate countless activities, and has taught me how to effectively communicate with people. For safety reasons as well as to educate students about the sites we will be seeing, communication will be a huge part in being a successful leader while in London. In my new role within the community, as a Council member, I have had the chance to see more of the logistics that go into planning events, as well as the day to day activities of the FOCUS office. In addition, I have started to form connections with the coordinators and other faculty around the office that I did not have as a mentor. These growing bounds have helped me see the importance of mutual trust and understanding, which can be especially beneficial when placed in stressful situations, such as traveling in a foreign
Giving young people the chance to step outside of their comfort zones allows them to more deeply connect with their own culture once they return home, but more importantly, broaden their understanding and view of the rest of the world. Having the chance to help in this unique type of student development would without a doubt challenge the leadership skills I gained in my previous two years of mentorship. My experience as mentor has given me the tools I need to know how to connect to students in short amounts of time. It would be so crucial for any student leader to know how to connect with the student group they are leading to ensure that there is trust between everyone in such an unfamiliar place. My experience in the FOCUS program has also allowed me facilitate countless activities, and has taught me how to effectively communicate with people. For safety reasons as well as to educate students about the sites we will be seeing, communication will be a huge part in being a successful leader while in London. In my new role within the community, as a Council member, I have had the chance to see more of the logistics that go into planning events, as well as the day to day activities of the FOCUS office. In addition, I have started to form connections with the coordinators and other faculty around the office that I did not have as a mentor. These growing bounds have helped me see the importance of mutual trust and understanding, which can be especially beneficial when placed in stressful situations, such as traveling in a foreign